Longtime Chico feed warehouse suffers losses in fire

Firefighter Dominick Peloso works to extinguish a fire between two Wilbur's Feed and Seed buildings on Meyers Street in south Chico late Tuesday night. The blaze burned straw bales outside a metal storage building, and many bags of feed will have to be replaced because of smoke and water damage. The business was operating on Wednesday.(Jason O'Hanlon/Special to the E-R)

CHICO -- A longtime feed store in south Chico took a bigger hit in a fire earlier this week than scorched walls and a broken window.

Wilbur's Feed and Seed is having to replace many bags of its feed because of smoke and water damage, after a fire burned straw bales outside a metal storage building.

Both Chico and Butte County firefighters responded to the Meyers Street business around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters had to break doors and a window into a metal storage warehouse behind the main building, according to Chico fire inspector Marie Fickert. They entered the building after quelling a bale fire and seeing smoke inside the building. There was some scorching done to the nearby retail building too, but the business was operating on Wednesday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but damage estimates were set at $22,650, Fickert said.

Firefighters weren't far away from Wilbur's when the fire started — they were putting out another fire on Fair Street.

Chico firefighters responded to a call of a pile of cardboard on fire at 10:18 p.m. at Fair Street Recycling Center on Fair Street. Embers also started a fire in a bin of office paper slated to be recycled.

Fickert said that fire was quickly put out by city and county firefighters since it was within feet of Cal Fire-Butte County Station 44.

Some nearby trash receptacles were scorched, and Fickert said the loss was estimated at about $4,000

There were no injuries at either fire.

Fickert noted there were similarities between the fires: Highly combustible materials, vicinity and timing. However, the two fires were being investigated separately.

Investigations are being conducted on both fires, and anyone with information is asked to call 895-4912. Callers may remain anonymous, according to Fickert, who said nearby businesses might have security cameras or employees who might have noticed something suspicious.